Latin America

The history of Maryknoll in Latin America is rich and deep. Our commitment to the promotion of social justice and peace in the region cost several of our missioners their lives during the years of oppression, including Fr. Bill Woods, MM in Guatemala (1976), and Sisters Ita Ford, MM, Maura Clarke, MM and Carla Piete, MM in El Salvador in 1980. Some, like Fr. Miguel D’Escoto in Nicaragua, have served in public roles in support of those who live in poverty. Countless others have accompanied the Central American people in their daily struggles for survival, for social justice, for an end to the violence that destroys their communities; for new life.

Among the particular concerns of Maryknoll in Latin America are poverty, its causes and consequences; migration and refugees; health care, especially holistic care that includes good nutrition and preventative care; access to essential medicines for treatable or curable illness; HIV and AIDS; the rights and dignity of women and children; the response of authorities to the growth in gang violence; mining concessions; just trade agreements; debt cancellation; small and subsistence farming and other work accessible to people who are poor; and environmental destruction.

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Christmas Day

Maggie Fogarty, a former lay missioner who lived and worked in Bolivia, writes the reflection for today’s readings.

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Feast of the Immaculate Conception

This week’s reflection on the readings is written by Sr. Rose Bernadette Gallagher, who, after decades of work in Asia, now serves as a Maryknoll representative to the UN’s NGO community.

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First Sunday of Advent

The first Sunday of Advent 2012 falls on the 32th anniversary of the martyrdom of the four North American churchwomen in El Salvador. This reflection is prepared by Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International and former director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.

Central America: Promoting restorative justice

Escalating violence and crime in Central America during the last decade and the devastating toll they take on society demand urgent attention. The following article was written by Rhegan Hyypio and published in the November-December 2012 NewsNotes Despite increased requests for alternative initiatives to curb violence and crime (for instance, see the Caravan for Peace,…

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Guatemala: Protestors put down by police, military

The Pan American highway runs through a barren stretch of Guatemalan territory at kilometer 170. This cold and deserted place, known to the local population as the Alaskan Summit, was the site of Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina’s recent attempt to silence opposition resulting in the October 4 deadly clash between indigenous protestors and members of the Guatemalan military, a clash which resulted in at least eight deaths and several injuries.

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Guatemala: Ríos Montt faces trial for abuses

After nearly 30 years, Efrain Ríos Montt finally will face trial for genocide and crimes against humanity. Ríos Montt was Guatemala’s president for 17 months during 1982 to 1983, when at least 1,771 people were killed, 1,445 raped and nearly 30,000 displaced, the bloodiest period of the country’s brutal 36-year civil war. The following article was published in the March-April 2012 NewsNotes.